From Here To Eternity
by Rippley
Summary: A life debt from a powerful Fae brings Severus Snape back to the realm of the living. Charlotte pays her debt to Severus Snape, but it costs her more than she bargains for. When these two former friends find themselves at Hogwarts, will sparks fly? SS/OC


**A/N: So, my goal is to continue this to the end- it's my New Years Resolution. I really hope you enjoy, read, and review. Hate it? Tell me. Think my character is a Sue? Tell me! I can only get better through you guys. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, I'd be less worried about paying for my dorms and more about my swimming pool filled with champagne. J/K. I'd fill it with blue kool-aid.**

**Notice: I am looking for a Beta-reader, so anyone that's interested- give a shout.**

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I sat down in the corner of the sanitary white room, the bit of grey plastic held leisurely in one hand. I ignored the strange looks I was getting from the nurse bustling around- I put little stock in the opinions of humans.

"You really shouldn't be in here Miss..." She said with a disapproving frown at me. I did not take her invitation to give my name, raising my eyebrow at the woman. While I was not particularly theatening looking most of the time, I gaver her a scolding look, and she trembled under my gaze.

"I- I'll leave you to it, then." The nurse stammered, leaving the room. I relaxed instantly as I heard the door click close, leaning back in the uncomfortable chair, my eyes glimpsing at the figure on the bed before I focused back to the computer-rendered page in front of me.

"He was proud, sardonic, harsh to inferiority of every description: in my secret soul I knew that his great kindness to me was balanced by unjust severity to many others. He was moody, too; unaccountably so; I more than once, when sent for to read to him, found him sitting in his library alone, with his head bent on his folded arms; and when he looked up, a morose, almost malignant, scowly blackened his features. But I-"

"Will you shut that annoying prattle?" Came the deep and acidic voice from the bed. Charlotte smiled, her finger flipping the switch on the reader and sliding it into her bag.

"Feeling better, I see. How was purgatory?" I asked sweetly, tilting my head to the side.

"Pleasant. I do wonder how I ended up here to be poked, prodded, and bored to death again? Was it not good enough the first time?" He growled at me. I kept up my fake smile, tilting my head to the side.

"I told you- Fae take their life debts very seriously." I said cooly, leaning back in my chair to look at Severus Snape, the wizard who had once saved my life. I received no response to this statement, just an indignant snort.

"Some reward." He muttered, and I let the remark pass. While we had once been comrades, I understood his uneasiness. "So, your government has lifted the ban on travel to the human realms then?"

"No." My answer was short, and sharp; I silently cursed myself for giving so much away with a small word.

"Then you are either an operative again, or in exile. Judging by your tone, exile. What did you do, little fairy? Come out on the wrong side of a revolution?" He had the upper hand now, and we both knew it. I did little to signify my surrender, but he caught the glance away from his dark eyes and knew the battle was lost.

"Something of a more personal matter." I answered grimly, my jaw tensing slightly. While Severus might not be known for his tact, he knew well enough not to prod me further.

"So, you brought me out of eternal slumber, and are now stuck here in exile with little means to support yourself." He watched me with a blank expression before sitting up in bed, leaning back against the pillows.

"What have you gathered of the final battle?" He asked, no longer meeting my eyes, but staring vacantly ahead. I knew this was coming and pulled out my reader again, pulling up the notes I had made about Voldemort's final hours.

"Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Ted Tonks, Colin Creevey, Fred Weasley, Severus Snape, Bellatrix Lestrange, Vincent Crabbe- by his own spell, so you owe me five galleons, Voldemort himself, Nagini, Peter Petigrew, Dirk Cresswell, Antonin Dolohov-"

"That's enough." He said, his voice rough. He closed his eyes and my heart ached for my once-friend. I reached over, resting my hand on his shoulder.

"Draco?" He asked as the name occurred to him, and he looked to me with hope. I was happy to be able to give him a good answer about his godson.

"Alive and well." I reported faithfully, thankful for little graces.

"And Potter won." He said with a sigh. In tone, it seemed to float in the gray area between a question and a statement.

"Potter won." I confirmed, squeezing his shoulders in what I hoped was a comforting manner. He looked grizzled, and tired.

"Why don't you read more of that silly romance you were reading earlier. I think that might just put me to sleep." He said after a moment of reflection. I squeezed his shoulder again quietly and nodded, sitting down and changing back to the novel I had been reading before.


End file.
